Conqueror
by Neurological Donut
Summary: In a universe where galactic threats aren't a rare thing, different souls can be led to each other through their motivations, sometimes in a friendly manner, sometimes in an antagonistic way. In such a place, one can't help but learn, learn about others, and learn about himself.
1. Not Alike, Part 1

**Disclaimer; I do not own Dragon Ball or Kill la Kill, they belong to their respective creators. This story is made just for the sake of fun.**

**Now, without further ado, let's begin!**

* * *

"Conquerors."

* * *

Chapter 1: "Not Alike, Part One."

* * *

_His dull gaze travels through the glittering lights that sparkle in the darkness of a moonless night, coming from the dozens of constructions that can be seen from where he stands in, and he cannot help but think of how majestic this place looks._

_The peak of the island becomes the focus of his onyx eyes._

_Steps are taken forwards, as he abandons the bridge and enters the lowest, seemingly impoverished district of the city, but at the same time, the widest one._

_Minutes pass, he loiters the outskirts of the town with a composed gait, hands inside the pockets of his dark green jacket, sometimes running into a stray dog, or a poor man asking for money, even if it was not quite the right time to do so. This place proves to be truly poor, and he keeps walking, oblivious to the hostile glances set in his direction from people in darkened alleys._

_A small beat-up market is open, and he steps inside, noticing the yellowish light coming from a bulb that hangs from its own cable, emerging from a crack in the ceiling. The eyes of the person in charge of the market, a lanky man in his late fifties, with wrinkled skin and white hair, leave the newspaper in hand and briefly sets on him, raising an eyebrow at his so very messy black hair, that kind of resembles the leaves of a palm-tree, and at his strange furry brown belt._

_Goten never notices this, his attention placed upon the racks full of different products, most of them being stuff such as bags of chips, or chocolate bars. He wants nothing more than to eat, to drink, to fill the void left in his stomach from hours and hours of traveling to here._

_As he takes a simple, cheap bottle of water, another person enters the market, but he hardly pays any attention to him, focused on buying water to sate himself. The old man, on the other hand, becomes wary of this tall person, noting his face hidden underneath the hood of a black coat._

_Padding to a rack in a corner, Goten shortly stares at a particular chocolate bar, recognizing its mark._

_Monkey Way! _

_Dumb name aside, he loves it…that amazingly masterful mixture between chocolate and banana is incomparable, unrivaled._

_A small smile makes it to his collected face._

_He takes two of these bars and, turning, watches how the hooded person strikes the old man in the nose, throwing him off his seat, then digging his gloved fingers in the cash register's locked cash drawer, ripping it out with money and all._

_The individual's ultimate aim is to take the drawer with him, but before that, he directs a malicious glare at Goten, pointing at him with a gloved hand and, with all intention to kill, firing silver bullets from black, diminutive guns attached to his fingers._

_No chance to dodge, not a chance to move. The bullets were faster than that of a machine gun._

_And what once was a young buyer, is now a corpse, laying down on the floor to rot in there for sure._

_In a rush, the hooded man hastily moves to the body, thinking of ransacking the backpack and the clothes' pockets._

_Sadly, that very rush blinded him, stopped him from realizing that there was no blood coming out of the cadaver, not a single crimson stain on the floor, or in the jacket, full of holes._

_Oh, if only he paid more attention._

_As he crouches and rummages the pockets, the furry belt inches above them abruptly unrolls from the waist of his bearer and, acting as a whip, strikes the hooded man in the cheek, making him collide against a spot in the wall just aside from the door, destroying the already battered frail concrete as his figure pierced it, landing heads over heels in the ground outside the market._

_The shockwave produced by the attack pushed down all the racks, and the products in them, of course. Many, such as the bags of chips, or the cartons of milk, exploded. The glass of the door, the only part of the market that did not look poor at all, broke in thousands of pieces, too._

_And Goten sits up, with many holes in his jacket and in the white t-shirt beneath it, but nothing more. His belt that is not a belt coils around his waist once again, and he glances at the hole left in the wall, surely grinning proudly at his performance._

_He then remembers something and immediately searches for the two Monkey Way bars that must be somewhere on the floor; he let go of them when he pretended to be hurt by the bullets, after all._

_And even if the market is engulfed in darkness, due to the explosion of all the light bulbs, seeing is not a problem._

_His eyes show disillusionment at finding them, resting on the floor as nothing more than countless insignificant brown pieces of chocolate and banana. He never finds the bottle of water, it surely exploded._

_What a waste, he thinks._

_Oh well, not everything can be the way he wants it to be._

_He gets up, accommodating his small orange backpack and walks out of the market taking the door, acting as if the hole inches from it is nonexistent._

_Surprisingly enough, he sees the man he slammed his tail against in the ground, but it is not that the reason for his surprise._

_The guy is trying to get up, shakily, from where he is, with no success whatsoever, but the very fact that he is still alive gets Goten off guard. What failed in his attack? It was fully intended to be lethal._

_He does not understand this._

_Still, an impulse to move his tail in excitement like a dog kicks in, and he wonders if this person is more than meets the eye. Ignoring the impulse in his head, Goten calmly walks to him, his footsteps heard by no one but the no longer hooded man and himself._

_"No! Get away!" he cries, holding out a shaky hand in his direction as if doing so would serve to halt his pace and in a miraculous turn of events, make him leave the street both are in as the only witnesses of this event, ridding him of this nightmare._

_But Goten does not stop._

_"GO AWAY!"_

_In a desperate effort, the man shoots at him once again, and as stupid as it is, he hopes for him to get pierced by the bullets coming from his gloved fingers, bullets that were not useful against him the first time and that will not do the job now either._

_He is so in despair._

_So he fires, and fires, until no ammunition is left in the miniguns._

_When he hears the sound of many bullets landing in the ground, while the fearsome monster still walks to him, he realizes that none touched him, even if he was not able to see it. Somehow, this guy is so fast that his brain could not perceive him deflecting every single bullet as if it was the easiest task in the world._

_He skids to a stop in front of him, looking at the miserable figure beneath._

_"Please…don't kill me…" he sobs, no longer facing whatever he formerly thought was just a young man, one he thought he killed with ease._

_Oh, now he regrets coming out of the base this night. Words could not describe just how much he regretted it._

_"…I'll do anything."_

_"Don't you think it's a little too late to negotiate, fool? Whatever you offer will not mean jackshit, take that for sure." Goten speaks, for the first time since this whole ordeal began, though for him, it is just an incident that would be forgotten by the morning. His tone is flat enough for the guy in the ground to know that he is saying the truth._

_Even so, he desperately clings to his only hope of getting out of this alive._

_"I'll give you my Goku Uniform!"_

_Goten's left eye barely twitches._

_That familiar word earns his curiosity._

_"Say what?"_

_The man in the ground is about to whimper again, and Goten utters, "You better stop crying, or you die, it's up to you."_

_He drowns his own cries and holds back the tears flowing from his eyes, replying Goten as composedly as he can, "My Goku Uniform will be yours if you let me live…"_

_"What do you mean by Goku Uniform?"_

_He gazes at Goten, gathering thoughts as quickly as he can. "You…you don't know about them?"_

_"No, I don't. Now spit it"_

_His eyes avoid his, fear overwhelming him to the core. As scared as he is, he manages to answer, "I don't exactly know what they are…just that they enhance your capabilities to the maximum…push your body to limits that can't be accessed otherwise…that's what I learned."_

_That would explain why he survived his tail whipping him in the cheek._

_"Many Goku Uniforms also have unique traits…mine…I think you…you've already seen it." he breathes._

_"These little guns in the fingers? Come on, they weren't useful at all, just look at yourself." Goten states mockingly, adding, "You've got my attention though. Tell me more stuff about them."_

_He gulps, and continues, "Satsuki Kiryuin…she's the one who bestows them to us students of Honnouji Academy. Based on an exam, she decides if we're worthy of wearing one…"_

_Satsuki Kiryuin._

_Goten heard of her when he got enrolled. Apparently, she is the student council president of Honnouji Academy, therefore, it would only make sense if she is the one who gives these fancy uniforms to the students._

_What bugs him, is that he did not hear of the Goku Uniforms, never read of them anywhere._

_"I've never heard of an exam to wear weird outfits, why?"_

_"She does not want the outside world to know…or…I don't know. New students just don't seem to know about them, and they are all shocked when they see them…"_

_Goten reflects on his next question. This Goku Uniform thing has many interesting possibilities. When he heard that strong people, student council included were here, he never thought it was clothes that gave them strength._

_Heh, it sounds so ridiculous._

_"Are all uniforms equal in strength? It'll be a huge letdown if the others are as weak as yours."_

_The guy remained silent for a few seconds, and then weakly whispered, "No…"_

_Goten smiled._

_"So, which ones are the strongest?"_

_He replies, "The Three-Star uniforms."_

_"And what is yours?"_

_His answer did not take long to come. "One-Star…"_

_"I knew it." Goten snorts. "I guess I don't have anything more to ask. Since you were so kind and told me all that, I'll let you go."_

_"Really?! Thanks-"_

_Goten harshly grabs him from the neck, cutting off the air he breathed. "But, if we run into each other again, I will not be as forgiving as I am being right now."_

_His grip tightens as he adds, "I don't care if you live or die right now. I saw it; you didn't hesitate to kill the old man inside that market, so I will not hesitate either if I have to kill you at this very moment, or later."_

_As the face of the man reddens in an unhealthy way, Goten lets go of his neck, leaving him gasping for air. He sneers, "Scum like you don't deserve any mercy, so be glad I'm in a good mood. Take my advice, and try not to get in my way again."_

_The man tries to look at Goten as he gasps, only to receive a powerful heel kick straight into the nose. The boot renders him unconscious, and Goten briefly ponders if killing him now that he is not awake._

_Nah, that would be a dirty move. He gave him some information about what he would face, after all. The least he can do is let him live, in exchange._

_Goten abandons the spot, humming some song he particularly likes, and secretly grateful that no one saw what transpired in that lone street. It would attract too much attention._

_Now, his only concern is finding a bed to rest in. He has a school to attend to tomorrow, a schedule to follow, and he wants to sleep, water and food be damned. He could drink and eat in the morning._

* * *

_Mako Mankanshoku is in a pretty bad mood._

_Well, she is always in a pretty good mood, but now she is in a bad mood, but at the same time, she is in a good mood. Good/Bad mood, yep, a combination of moods!_

_So, as she lays in her soft futon, the best she has to sleep, covered with a blanket, she thinks of her day, in her dark room, staring at the ceiling with those perpetually bright, amber eyes, so full of life._

_Her day had not been very good. Right, every day here is destined to be awful, but Mako had it worse today; first in the morning, when she had to catch and punish her little brother, who is more stupid than a group of teenagers in a horror movie, thrice. Sometimes she wonders why her parents don't do anything to stop him from mugging people._

_Oh right! They're too busy with their not-so-great jobs, so they cannot stop him and it's up to her and only her, right? Right!_

_Why is she in Good/Bad mood again? Oh, of course._

_She almost arrived late to Honnouji Academy, and had it not been for the fact that she held onto the little tube of the tram, she would've fallen and she would've never arrived! Speaking of the tram, it was full to the brim with others like her! As much as she liked some company from her fellow students, the ride to the school didn't feel comfortable at all!_

_Some guys and gals even fell from the tram, because there was no space and they couldn't hold onto a tube or something like she had! She feels sorry for them. Sure they were expelled, and probably dead. No one survives a fall from the tram when it's at full speed, or so she heard._

_It was such a struggle! Well, Honnouji Academy is always a struggle, but today was much more of a struggle! A super-duper ultimate struggle!_

_What happened next? Oh yes, she forgot about homework, but it didn't seem like the teacher cared. He never cares. Once, she asked why, and he said it wasn't his problem. That he didn't care._

_In short, he doesn't care._

_Well, she doesn't care either. She falls asleep on her desk at the smallest of opportunities in every class! Maybe it is her fault that her notes are kind of low. There was a time when she did care, when she did do her activities, but it is so far behind! Like, one year behind._

_It didn't work, her family never got a better status no matter how hard she tried, so she stopped trying. She stopped being a great student because as long as her body isn't ready for a Goku Uniform, she will never get a better status._

_Why keep up with lame efforts then?_

_She sighs._

_Stop, Mako! This is not you! You never think depressive things, stop acting out of character!, she mentally tells herself while hitting her head twice with a closed hand. Then she returns to her original position._

_What else happened to induce this Good/Bad mood?_

_Oh right, she failed at another practice of the tennis club. Shame on her! She is not good at that sport, she ponders if quitting the club. She likes it, but she isn't fast enough, she lacks the reflexes needed to play it._

_If she can't even keep up with newbies that join the club, what makes her think that she can be able to rival the club captain? Yup, it is decided, she will quit tomorrow!_

_The last thing that occurred during the day was that Suzuki was murdered by Disciplinary Committee Chair, and Student Council President thought it was a good idea to hang him in the school's entrance. How bad, she liked him. Mako likes everyone, in fact, but sadly, they don't want to be friends with her._

_Still, she has hope. She hopes to meet someone who becomes her friend, then she will not need to imagine friends. Mako has hope._

_And hopeful as she is, she soon falls asleep._

_A noise resounds in the night, the noise of a weapon firing, but she doesn't hear, sound asleep._


	2. Not Alike, Part 2

"Not Alike, Part Two."

* * *

Having spent some hours in this city made Goten wonder what the hell was wrong with its people. Many people hid in alleys, bruised and wounded with lots of bandages, which could only mean they engaged in a very recent fight.

He quickly discovered that the only market in the zone was the one he damaged the last night, and considering the light of the sun hitting his face as he walked, everyone should have seen the disaster that was that market and the neighborhood it was on, speaking of which…

Did the stray bullets hit anyone nearby?

His gaze averted the road ahead, he looked down.

He would have to change his holed jacket soon; it was earning him too many glances.

Almost absentmindedly, he directed to another street.

He got quickly used to the sensation of going upwards with each step he took. As admittedly ecstatic he was to meet the strongest persons this tough place had to offer, Goten really had no hurry.

After all, he could be wrong about that market being the only one in this place.

Such a thought made his stomach roar, reminding him of his hunger.

Damn, he had to think about _that!_

He pulled his wallet out of his pants indifferently, knowing there were people probably around who could see it under the daylight, and they weren't exactly gentle.

A grin appeared in his face.

"_I've got enough for another week."_

**THUD!**

"Ouch!"

Goten looked up once again, noticing a young, brown-haired boy. He was sitting on the ground with a grimace of pain, and his black shirt slopped off from his right shoulder.

"Hey dude! What's yo' problem?!"

"Uh…sorry, brat. I was kinda off-world." Goten chuckled lightheartedly, putting his wallet in his pockets and extending a hand to the boy, only for it to be received by a back-handed slap from the boy.

"Fuck off! I'm sixteen, and I can get up alone loser!" he smugly exclaimed, getting up in a blink and patting off the dust from his shirt and cut-off shorts just as fast.

Goten briefly stared at him, before shrugging his shoulders. "Alright. See ya around then, kid."

He was about to walk away from the boy until he purposefully stood on his way. "Wait. Don't you think you owe me somethin'? You can't just get outta here after pushing me, you've gotta pay for what you've done."

Goten considered this for three seconds before grinning. "What about _no_?"

"Then I'll kick yer ass."

After those words, a dead silence flooded the area they both stood on. They hit Goten so hard, that fear invaded him in a second, and what he said afterwards reflected the all-consuming dread forming in him…

"I hope that's a joke, because it sure is funny, kid!"

…yeah, dread.

"The only joke here is you, bastard!" the boy yelled angrily as he pointed a finger to Goten, regardless of the fact that the _bastard _in front of him was way taller than him. "Just look at yer wig! What kind of person in his right mind would wear that?!"

"Me, it seems, and it's not a wig, brat," Goten answered, inclining and giving the boy a finger flick on the forehead. It proved to be strong enough to force the boy to tilt his head back in pain, causing his white sunglasses to fall from his head.

"Ah! What the fuck was that?!" he cried out, glaring at Goten again, this time touching the spot he hit him on. The neverending grin on Goten's face made his blood boil.

"You aren't gonna cry, are you?"

The boy realized a tear was VERY eager to escape from one of his eyes, and immediately passed a hand over it. "You…THAT'S IT! GUYS!"

Out of the blue, three more boys arrived at the scene, all carrying something dangerous; one had a chainsaw, other had a simple chain, and another had a metal rod, typical of a Japanese gang.

"You've brought your buddies here? Can't you face me on your own?" Goten teased, completely unfazed by the group surrounding him.

"I was gonna ask for your wallet nicely, asshole, but now we're gonna take it by force! No one messes with Lightspeed Mataro and lives to tell the story! This neighborhood's my turf, Honnou City's blind alley, and if you don't wanna go home in pieces, you've gotta pay us the rent!"

"Just hear yourself, wimp. You were about to cry before and now you're acting as if you were the toughest around! Do you expect to scare me? Because I'm telling you, _you aren't._" Goten stated, every and all of his words laced with a relaxed mockery that only served to ignite Mataro's anger with even more intensity.

"So that's how it is, motherfucker?! We're gonna erase that grin off your face, you'll see! EVERYONE, ATTACK!"

With a war cry, the other three boys did as Mataro told.

Goten's grin became wider and toothy.

Adrenaline coursed through him, and from a moment to another, he found himself slamming one of the boy's head against the ground with a hand, choke holding another with the other, and twisting one's arm with his once still tail.

Mataro's mouth dropped.

"What's the matter, _Mataro_? I'm still grinning." Goten said, looking at Mataro with a certain expectation. "Won't you lend your buddies a hand?"

"H-Hold on!" Mataro shouted, kneeling in a blink. "We give up! Right guys?!"

"_Huh?"_

Goten let go of Mataro's friends, and just as quickly as he kneeled, they ran to him and did so too. "Yes! We give up!"

"You…give up?" Goten let out, narrowing one eye in disbelief.

"Yeah!"

"…Just like that?" he asked, a slight trace of disappointment accompanying his voice.

"Well…we're weak, yeah! We're weak against strong people, that's our stronger suit!" Mataro affirmed, nodding.

Goten looked at them with uncertainty, but after realizing that the other boys were shivering under his presence, he came to the conclusion, and to the certainty, that they weren't lying…which meant they wouldn't attack him once he turned his back on them.

"…Heh, of course."

"Ah?"

"I shouldn't have expected much from you…I'm a fool," Goten said, more to himself than to them, shaking his head. The gang looked at each other, wondering what was he talking about, until Goten chuckled. "Hahaha! Whatever, sorry for the trouble, boys."

"Uh…hehe, don't worry pal, we're good," Mataro answered as he raised a thumb, even if he was still scared. His eyes fell on the brown thing moving behind Goten, and he paled.

_How did he forget about that?_

Goten noticed his reaction. "Hmm? What's wrong?"

One of the boys pointed a finger to the moving thing. "What…what's _that?"_

He looked behind, then over his shoulder, and looked back at the boys. "What does it seem to you? It's a tail!"

"…You have…a tail." Mataro uttered, his mind processing what he just heard.

This guy was a freak.

"What about it?" Goten asked with a raised eyebrow. He seriously didn't want everyone to discover he had a tail, it could cause…_riot. _He didn't expect himself to get so over-excited by the prospect of beating the crap out of those guys, but now that they saw it, the best was to act as calmly as he could.

They were already freaking out a bit.

"Hey, kids."

"We're not kids. We're all sixteen." one of them quickly responded.

"Well, you're still kids to me. I'm seventeen."

"What? You're just a year older than us!" other exclaimed, and Goten sighed.

"To hell with this…look, I don't want you all to go around telling everyone _this _about me," he said, motioning to his tail with his head. "Let's keep it…a secret."

The boys stared at him and proceeded to nod slowly.

Goten smiled.

Perhaps that beating he gave them worked for something.

"Good, see you later then!" Goten simply said, waving a farewell as he walked away. Everyone watched him leave, but they didn't watch it when he looked around with critical eye, checking the windows of houses in his surroundings and the alleys where anyone could be hiding.

No one saw what happened.

Great.

He'd have to be more careful next time he decided to fight.

* * *

"Geez. He's one crazy douchebag." Mataro said, taking his sunglasses from the ground and cleaning them up.

"He was pretty damn strong too. D'ya think he had…one of those?"

"No. What could somebody with a Goku Uniform be doing down here? That bitch president doesn't care about us one bit."

"Ah…my arm still hurts, guys."

Mataro watched his friends discuss, but at the same time, he didn't. A girl was coming this way, and in her, he saw the possibility of successfully mugging someone.

"Hey, y'all should hide. We'll talk about the weird asshole from before later."

His friends, after looking to where he was looking, did exactly as he told them, and Mataro grinned evilly.

* * *

"So this is _Honnouji Academy._ What a sight, huh."

Finally, at the front door of the place he searched for, he was wide-eyed. Goten didn't think the walls of the school would be so tall, so towering and imposing. It was clear the people here were really enthusiastic when constructing this.

However, would they live up to their reputation?

That was yet to be seen.

What he could see, though, were those guards at the entrance of the school. Three in total and they had grey uniforms with a single black star emblazoned on the center of it. Though they looked oddly the same, with their bowl cuts and shady eyes, it didn't stop him from immediately remembered the conversation with that guy from last night.

"_This. Is. Wonderful!"_

"Hey there!" he greeted amicably, walking carefreely to the guards. They looked at each other, and one stepped to him when he was close enough to the entrance.

"You must stop here and identify yourself. If you are a new student, pull your certificate of enrollment, otherwise, you must get out of here."

"Huh, sure thing, buddy! Let's see…"

Goten put his school bag in front of himself and crouched, searching for the certificate.

A bold smile appeared on his face. "Hehe…how can I say this? I can't find it."

"Then, by all means, you shall not enter. Not until you show us your certificate."

"Eh? Why not? I've come all the way here, I can just make a call later and bring you the certificate."

"These are the orders of the student council. Now, return from where you came, or else, we'll have to make use of our might." the guard threatened, and Goten feigned fear. He noticed the glances the guards were giving his dark-green jacket, surely at its holes.

"Hey, no need to be so mean. Fine, I'll return from where I came…" Goten said, closing his school bag and putting it behind, turning his back on the guards, about to take a step away from them. "I'll be seeing you later…"

Once his foot touched the ground, Goten spun on his heel and gave the guard the strongest gut punch he ever received in his life. "GUH!"

The guard fell to the ground in a fetal position, a hand on his belly.

"You miserable bastard!"

Goten looked to the left side, welcomed by the force of a good swing at his cheek that left him momentarily stunned. The pain, of course, didn't take long to kick in.

Trying to take advantage, another guard threw a kick at his chin, but Goten's eyes burst open as he moved his head backwards at the last moment, dodging the kick by an inch.

"AAAH!"

The same guard who hit his cheek approached him rapidly, swinging at his nose. Due to his attack being a frontal assault, it wasn't hard for Goten to parry the punch aside with his forearm, taking his own swing at the guard's face. A satisfying crack soothed his ears, accompanied by a loud scream of agony.

"My nose…! He broke my nose…!"

The guard was holding his broken, bleeding nose in the ground.

But Goten only saw a golden opportunity.

He delivered a heel kick to the screaming guy without hesitation.

He _did _see the other approaching and immediately approached him, too.

At shocking speeds, of course.

"Wha-"

"LET'S SEE WHAT YOU'VE GOT!" he exclaimed, performing a rising knee strike on the guy's chin, causing him to bite his tongue in the process. Not content with that, Goten followed with a roundhouse kick that hit the poor bastard on the torso.

It was enough to take him down.

With all three guards laying down on the ground, Goten grabbed his bag, rummaged through it and casually pulled out a paper. "Whoa. Guess what I found, buddy?"

The guard Goten was looking at could only mutter, "…the…the certificate…"

"Yes, _my _certificate. Since I'm showing this to you, I should get permission to get in, right?"

"…"

"Cool. I suppose I don't need it anymore, then." Goten said, throwing the paper to the guy's face. He crouched upon seeing the angry grimace the guard was making. "Ah, don't put that face, dude. I'm sad we can't have more fun together, too, but I've got classes to attend!"

"…You're gonna pay…Satsuki Kiryuin will know about this!"

"And I bet she's gonna beat me up." he let out, adding a subtle provocation to his tone. "Fine by me," he added, standing up. "For now, let's pretend I'm your typical _No-Star _student…goodbye!"

Waving his hand, Goten abandoned the spot and stepped into the corridor that led to the school's premises.


	3. Not Alike, Part 3

"Not Alike, Part Three."

* * *

"…_What's this?"_

Before him, a pair of towering walls were, separated by what he knew was the entry to the courtyard ahead. Said entry looked akin to a star, but that's not what caught Goten's attention.

In-between the two walls, a naked person was hanging fairly high. His arms were tied to them with a spiky wire, and he had a sign glued to his torso, long enough to cover his intimate parts.

-This is a naked pig who dared to defy Honnouji Academy, as such, justice was dealt.-

Those were the words written on the sign, and while Goten wasn't that taken aback by the dead guy, he really didn't expect it, hence the wide-eyed gaze he directed to him.

It soon became a frown, though.

"Guess I won't have to hold anything back." he muttered, walking into the school as he zipped up his jacket.

* * *

The courtyard was surprisingly vast, with a strange fog, and a fair amount of students were roaming around, most in groups of varying numbers, many with uneasy faces.

What was it that put them on alert anyway?

Well, considering someone was _dead _and hanging on the entry, Goten could understand their nervousness…but what could have the guy done to deserve such a sentence?

He didn't have time to think much about it, as a blaring noise was emitted from the speakers, kind of like an ambulance. Goten assumed it was this school's "bell", seeing that everyone started to move towards a big building where classes obviously took place.

An unsettling sensation overtook him.

Goten raised his head, glancing at the tower of the academy.

It was strangely_ bright_, but he could see the silhouette of someone standing on the tower of the main building.

"_That one…"_

"Hey! What are you doing?"

Genuinely startled, Goten resisted the urge to skip and glanced behind, seeing a student with a Goku Uniform; it had one star on the center.

"Go to your classroom immediately," he ordered, and Goten couldn't help scratching his head.

"Eh…about that. I don't know which is my classroom, heh."

"Oh, so you are new? To which grade and class do you belong?"

"Hmm…let's see…I'm seventeen...which means I should be in Second Grade, and my class…I think it's _K._" he vaguely remembered, and the answer of the One-Star came _fast._

"According to the schedule of Second Grade, Class K, you should be in the first classroom at the left on the highest floor, in the History Class."

Goten blinked at how quickly the guy responded.

"…Alright?"

"Don't stand there. Go."

"…Of course, I'm gonna go! See you around!" he let out, turning and walking to the main building.

Honestly, Goten didn't expect the guy to be so precise and confident about the thing with Class K's schedule. Normally he would have been told to go see the schedule stapled on some wall or something like that, at least that's what happened to him in the past, back when he was an early teenager.

Good times, but not as good as the present.

Maybe that guy was in the same class?

Oh well, whatever.

* * *

"This is Son Goten, one of the two transfer students we are going to receive today."

The teacher's statement was indifferent, and so was the students', except for one, a brown-haired girl who perhaps couldn't shut her mouth a bit.

"Here! Here! You can sit here!" she constantly repeated, and Goten couldn't help thinking she looked oddly familiar.

The boy from that poor neighborhood…what was his name?

The teacher, a man of blue messy hair, who had glasses and appeared to be tired and unenthusiastic as hell, glanced at Goten with a raised eyebrow. "Do you know her?"

"Not a clue."

"Well, Mankanshoku's like that. You can either sit there or there." the teacher said, pointing to a desk at Mankanshoku's side and then to another at the right corner of the room, before returning to writing something on the board.

"Here, please sit here!"

Goten watched her restlessly point to the desk at her side until he sighed.

He should seat there.

Goten walked to the desk and sat at last, much to the girl's content. "Good morning Goten! I'm Mako Mankanshoku! Nice to meet you!"

He looked at her, mildly disturbed at her behavior. In the end, however, he smiled. "It's nice to meet you, too!"

"I hope we get along really well! Suzuki wasn't much of a talker, and it's worse now that he's dead," she stated, much to Goten's surprise.

"You mean the guy who's hanging on the entry?"

"Yep! I heard the student council wrote a message and glued it to his skin! Is it true?"

"…Shouldn't you already know that…?" Goten asked, raising an eyebrow at this person's rising stupidity.

"Oh, right! I saw him at the entry this morning, dumb me!" she exclaimed, shaking her head and facepalming herself hard.

Goten just snorted at this action, glancing over to the chalkboard while shutting off Mako's posterior rambling he, honestly, wasn't too interested in hearing.

"_Guess I should do some activities at least."_

"Your haircut's kind of cool anyway! Has anyone told you that?"

Goten's eyes widened briefly.

"No."

An honest answer, it had no bite.

Should it have?

He didn't know.

"Speaking of hair! Do you know what I found on my breakfast this day?"

"No, what?"

"A strand of hair _this _long!" she said, putting her hands together only to separate them in an attempt to show him just how long the strand was. For some reason, the activity in the chalkboard became less relevant as time passed, and when he finished copying it to the notebook, he didn't even bother to answer the questions on it.

He was too busy listening to her stupid ramblings.

* * *

"…and then I found him mugging a poor girl on the slums! That jerk! I gave him a lesson in front of his friends, but he didn't seem to learn…he's so lazy he never comes to school!"

"Is your brother's name _Mataro, _by any chance?"

"Oh! Yes! How did you know?"

He repressed a grin, and put his hands on the back of his head, resting it against them. "Let's just say we met not long ago. We're the best of friends!"

"That makes me sooo glad! Normally he just hangs out with his gang, but you seem to be a nice person!"

_A nice person?_

_As if._

Two hours had passed, and she never shut up. He also noticed she loved to gesticulate and imitate stuff. He glanced around many times to see if anyone was looking over their direction, only to realize everyone was as indifferent to her as they were to him.

Good.

He heard soft hits to the metallic door, and his eyes darted to it, interested. The teacher stood from his seat, yawning and with his back bent, walking over to the door and opening it.

He seemed to be talking with someone.

Goten realized who this _someone_ was when she stepped into the room, the teacher closing the door behind as she glanced at the group with a neutral gaze.

At first, he didn't know if she was a student, because she didn't wear the uniform every girl here including Mako wore; a blueish sailor uniform. Instead, the black-haired girl wore her own white and black jacket, a dark miniskirt, and carried a guitar case, for what? He didn't know.

However, when the teacher began to present her, there was no doubt in his mind; she was the other transfer student the teacher mentioned before.

"This is Ryuko, a student who has transferred to Second Grade Class K of Honnouji Academy." the teacher announced lazily, and Mako, who had been talking non-stop the entire class, looked at Ryuko with surprise.

"Ryuko, Ryuko!"

The girl gazed at Mako, who was waving a hand at her like she was a dear friend. Goten noticed the lack of a salute from the other girl, who was exchanging some words with the teacher. For a moment she looked at him, and then to the free desk at the corner, walking to it.

Goten glanced at Mako, who kept saluting the girl. "Do you know her?"

"Yeah! She was the girl I told you about! Mataro tried to mug her, but she was so badass she kicked his gang's ass!"

Goten snorted.

Poor wimp, two defeats in a row.

"Mako…tell me something."

"Hmm? What's it?"

"Who are the strongest here? Where can I find them?"

The teacher looked over to Goten, and for the first time, the other students appeared to hear him, taken aback by his out of the blue question.

Mako wasn't among them.

"Whoa! You mean to search for the people with the Goku Uniforms?"

"Yeah!" he responded, aware of the reactions he was causing the other students. It was clear they didn't want to have anything to do with him, or the _strongest._

Ryuko Matoi, however, glanced over at the pair, curious.

"Well, all you have to do is ask the One-Star students! The Two-Stars are normally attending to their clubs, so unless you're in a club, you won't see them a lot!"

"…I see. What about the Three-Stars?"

Some students started to sweat.

"They? You can find them in the Student Council chambers! They're really mean though, so I wouldn't go around looking for them if I were you! They'd even kill you if you're disrespectful!"

He smiled a small smile. "You don't have to worry one bit! I'm the most respectful person around, Mako."

A blaring noise reached the classroom, no doubt the indication of the school for the students to get out of the classrooms for a break.

"Ahh…well, that's it for today, see you all tomorrow. Don't forget the resume of the pages seventy-nine to eighty-four." the teacher said in his dull voice, and everyone stood up from their desks.

As Goten hunched over on his seat to reach out to the bag below, he felt strangely observed. He looked up, only to see the professor. If he was looking at him, he didn't know, because the man had a journal in his hands and to top it off, reflective glasses.

Goten shrugged off, took his bag and got out of the classroom, followed by Mako.

* * *

"Come on. Isn't there any place where I can buy something to eat here?"

"Nope!"

"A cafeteria?"

"Nope!"

"…Damn it…"

Goten sat on a stair, having just gotten out of the main building, with his stomach begging him to eat. A bowl of ramen, a filet, a sandwich, anything would do now. It didn't help that Mako ate her lunch in front of him, at an impressive speed he had to admit.

Speaking of Mako, she was glancing around, searching for someone.

"You know, you could be talking with your acquaintance right now, had you not followed me around the entire damn building."

"Aww! Don't you want me to be around?" she questioned with bright eyes.

Goten contemplated her for a moment before sighing. "I like having you around, just not _all _the time. I'm…I'm more used to be alone, you know that?"

"Oh! I get it! You've been alone for so long that you actually grew comfortable with it!" she stated vigorously, putting her fist down on the palm of her hand as if she realized something incredible.

Goten rubbed the back of his head. "Eh…sorta!"

"Hey!"

Mako leaned forward to him and caught a glimpse of his jacket's little holes. "This is custom made, isn't it! It fits you so well!"

He stared at her, then at his jacket. "Custom made…? Heh, you have no idea…"

She tilted her head to the side. "Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Look behind you," he told her, and Mako did so.

"Ryuko!"

When Goten looked over his shoulder, he expected to see the same girl who Mako didn't stop greeting in class.

What he didn't expect, was for Mako to launch herself to the girl, who dodged effortlessly, by the way. The poor girl ended up crashing into a trash can, and he felt bad.

He felt bad because he almost laughed at her.

To repress a simple snigger proved to be a hard task.

"Aw! Why'd you dodge me?"

"Anyone would dodge something coming their way, right?" she casually let out, glancing at Mako, who shook a banana peel off her head.

"I just wanted to give you a hug! I can't say we're besties, but you taught my meanie of a brother a lesson, so you deserve at least a hug! I'm Mako Mankanshoku by the way!" Mako exclaimed, her insane logic not quite understood by Ryuko.

"Wait! You two met my brother and me! What a coincidence!" Mako said, standing between the two while pointing a finger to Ryuko and another to Goten.

"Hey there!" the latter greeted, waving his hand. "Ryuko, was it?"

Ryuko looked at him, and seeing how he was the first one to talk to her here aside from Mako, aside from the fact that he sounded much more normal than the latter, she decided to answer.

"Yeah, that's me," she said. "Who're you anyway?"

"The name's Goten! Mako told me you two had met before."

"She isn't wrong," Ryuko admitted. "A bunch of wimps tried to steal me, and she came out of nowhere saying she was sister of one of 'em."

"She said you beat them up." he let out, and a smug smile appeared on Ryuko's face.

"That's true. I made quick work of those punks, it was easy as hell."

"Hehe, you really make it sound like it went that way," Goten said, turning his face to the courtyard, now full of students walking around. "You seem like a strong one."

"…Yeah, I guess." Ryuko just said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh! I'm so glad the persons who met my brother and me are getting along so well!" Mako squealed. "Why have you come with us anyway, Ryuko? Don't tell me you've pursued us around! That'd be creepy." she finished, quivering comically.

"About that…"

"Don't tell me! You sing!" Mako declared confidently, pointing a finger to Ryuko's guitar case. "I bet you wanna recruit us to your band because you thought Goten's hair rocks!"

"What? No."

"I'm gonna start practicing then!"

"Hey, calm down!" Ryuko said, to no avail, Mako was already singing. When she glanced at Goten, and he glanced back to her, he shook his head.

"It's no use. You better get used to it soon."

Goten noticed how she looked down and forced a smile at what he said.

"Heh, right, _soon."_

"So, what do you have to say?"

Her blue eyes met his. "Huh?"

"You were about to say something when Mako cut you off, weren't you?"

"…Ah, listen, do you know who's the top dog here?" she asked, and he noticed the minor change in her attitude, from easygoing to more serious.

"…Maybe!" he let out, grinning, and she frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"Well, you see, I arrived here on the same day as you. I don't have a clear view of how stuff works here yet. Have you heard about Satsuki Kiryuin?"

Ryuko averted her gaze, trying to remember. That name, she heard it somewhere.

She looked back at him. "Yeah, I suppose I heard it before, but I don't remember where. Maybe a few weeks ago."

"Good! Now, I've been told that Satsuki Kiryuin's the one who has the authority here, the _top dog _as you called her. Maybe the guy lied, but that's all I know."

Ryuko smiled. "So, all I have to do is find this Satsuki Kiryuin? Sounds like a plan to me."

Goten snickered. "Hehe, I take it you didn't come here to study at all, right?"

"You ain't wrong," she admitted. "I've come here for other reasons."

"Whoa! I wonder what reasons are those!" Mako exclaimed, having ceased her singing and looking at Ryuko.

Goten narrowed his eyes. "Still, what made you think we knew about this place's _top dog?"_

"Dunno. Mako seemed to know a lot from her talk in the classroom." Ryuko said. "I was coming here to ask _her _about it."

"No worries! You can ask me anything!" Mako responded, unaware of the fact that Ryuko's questions were already answered. "My birth date, my direction, my best friend's name, my favorite food…"

"Hey, I don't-"

"…favorite movies, my hobbies, my favorite animals- oh! Look!"

Both Ryuko and Goten glanced over to where Mako's finger was pointed. They saw herds of students walking in front of the main building, making two lines between a stair emerging from above their heads, going down to the ground.

"We have to go there now!" Mako squealed, taking Ryuko and Goten by the arms and dragging them to a line of students, not even giving them time to protest. "Bow!"

Mako didn't let them kneel on their own, instead pulling them down as she herself kneeled. As a result, both ended up crouching rather than kneeling at all.

"…What's happening here?" Goten questioned, and Mako immediately shushed him.

"Don't speak so loudly, dummy!" she whispered, and Goten frowned. The funnily reproachful look Mako was giving was enough to shut up any bitter retort he may have had in mind, though.

"…Whatever," he whispered, and Ryuko sniggered, earning a sharp glance from him. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Who's that guy, Mako?"

Goten gazed at where Ryuko was gazing, noticing a tall, muscular man of blond, combed hair, wearing a white uniform with lots of spikes on different parts of the body.

What truly piqued Goten's interest were the three stars emblazoned in his chest.

"He's Ira Gamagori, member of the Elite-Four and also the Disciplinary Committee Chair! If you do mischief, it's sure that he will get you for punishment! He even killed Suzuki yesterday!"

"Suzuki? You mean the guy who's hanging on the entry?"

"Yep!"

The gigantic man was about to walk past them.

Goten didn't have it in himself to repress the urge to engage in a fight.

"Whoa whoa! What do we have here? You're a big bastard, aren't you?"

Upon his reckless actions, all of the students around allowed their mouths to drop.

Mako squealed, while Ryuko's eyes widened mildly.

She didn't expect that.

Gamagori's eyes became dangerous, and in a booming voice, he yelled, "What do you think you are doing, No-Star?! Kneel in this very instant, lest you want a deadly punishment to be imprinted upon you!"

Goten, who covered his ears since the decibels of Gamagori's voice were ruthless, put his hands in his pockets, smiling confidently. "Man, relax, no need to be so aggressive! What's it you're wearing? A Three-Star uniform?"

"Such a question's answer should be already known by the likes of you! Now...KNEEL!"

"Come on! Why do we have to kneel?" Goten casually asked, unfazed by the imposing height of the man, which seemed to increase slightly with each second.

"I will not tolerate your nonsensical questions in front of the student council president, Lady Satsuki! This is your last chance to show your respect and kneel!"

"Satsuki?"

Goten dorkily glanced around, and then looked back at Gamagori, whose eyes had become two threatening, yellow lights.

He shrugged, grinning. "Sorry, can't find her."

That was the last straw.

The last straw for Gamagori's wrath to escape its leashes.

"ENOUGH!"

A spiky long, red whip emerged from the forearm part of Gamagori's uniform. The students who were on the spot fleed screaming as he directed it against Goten's head.

He hopped backward, and Gamagori's burning gaze followed him. "It's no use!"

Another whip appeared from his left arm, one that he used to attack Goten from a distance. "You shall be PUNISHED!"

When the whip was close enough, he deflected it to the side with a rough palm strike, his grin becoming wider.

It proved to be a dumb move, as his palm now had cuts, with blood that came out of them included.

"Not bad! Not bad at all!" he exclaimed, shaking the blood off his hand and approaching Gamagori at great speed, much to the latter's surprise.

His surprise dissolved into his all-consuming wrath soon, though.

"Engaging me in close combat…"

The man moved a fist back...

"WON'T WORK!"

…and slammed it against the ground!

**CRACK!**

The ground shattered on a long radio, and Goten tripped due to stepping on a crack he didn't see thanks to his own speed and lack of focus. Gamagori took his chance, and moments before Goten collided with the ground, a broad punch landed on his face, sending him meters away.

"I'm not over yet!"

Gamagori sent one of his long whips after Goten, still in the air. "You won't have my permission to crash and die in a wall until you show me which uniform you stole!"

When the whip reached Goten and spun his body around, destroying his green jacket, the revelation hit Gamagori like a truck.

_He had no Goku Uniform, but a common white t-shirt!_

"GRAAH!"

Amidst the air, Goten quickly grabbed the whip with both hands and pulled it back brutally, the force of his pull being enough to yank it off from Gamagori's forearm.

"What?! Impossible!" the man exclaimed, his eyes showing his emotions of disbelief.

Goten landed on the ground loudly, letting the insanely long whip fall on the ground as blood beads dropped from his hands.

His gaze met Gamagori's, and for the first time, his eyes were as blazing as the latter's own eyes.

This was what he was searching for.


	4. Not Alike, Part 4

"Not Alike, Part Four."

* * *

"What's with this incredible strength you display?! Answer me!"

Gazing upon the giant, a devilish spark flashed in his eyes. "I'd love to, buddy, but you'll probably get bored!"

All of sudden, Goten began to zig-zag towards Gamagori, whose expression became shocked.

_Was he that fast before?!_

Gamagori slammed a fist into the ground, shattering it. "It's useless!"

Goten smiled.

This time, he focused on the breaking road he was taking, careful enough not to trip again, despite his increased speed. With the last from a few hops, he delivered an elbow strike to Gamagori's solar plexus.

"Hate to be one to breakit to you, but…"

He performed a tremendous spinning kick on Gamagori's cheek, moving his head to the side.

"…the same trick won't work twice!"

As if his weight didn't matter, Gamagori was lifted from the ground by the attack, being sent to a far wall with a loud crash.

Glancing over there, Goten waited for the guy to emerge from the hole on the wall, but after a few tension-filled seconds passed, he shook his head.

"How sad."

Just as he turned his head away from the hole, a certain someone jumped skyrocketing to him and embraced him in a hug that almost threw him off balance. "Uh! What the heck?!"

That person looked at him with starry eyes and exclaimed, "You were so amazing, Goten!"

"I-Eh…yes. Think you can get a little bit away from me, Mako?" he let out, clearly uncomfortable.

"No problem!" she answered, still grinning as she let go of him. He looked at her with a narrowed eye before sighing.

"That was a Three-Star Goku Uniform, right?" he asked, and Mako nodded.

"Yep! Gamagori was an elite, yet you came here and beat him down so easily it almost looked easy! I saw all from a safe distance, that weird kick was great! You moved so fast I thought you disappeared for a moment!" she affirmed, but much to her confusion, Goten didn't look happy for his accomplishments, looking away and frowning.

"Hum? Are you angry?"

"No, I'm not." he simply responded, gazing back at her. "Are you hurt? You were pretty close when that three-star fool tried to get me."

"Nope! Not a scratch! Got away in time, lucky me!"

Having met her for such a short time, Goten couldn't really say he cared for her wellbeing at all, but he would've hated it if she got caught up in-between him and the Gamagori letdown.

No one should get hurt in a fight aside from the respective fighters.

"Well, that's good!"

"Hey."

Goten glanced over to the person who called him, noticing Ryūko looking at him with quite the disturbed look. "What was all that…?"

"A bummer, that's what it was." he grumbled, but Ryūko didn't feel as if her question was really answered, and she was left with more confusion.

"Bummer? What are you talking about?" she asked, and Goten scratched his head.

"Let's just say I expected more from a so-called 'elite', alright?"

"I think Ryūko's asking you about your power! I too wanna know how you manage to face and beat a Three-Star having no stars! It's so intriguing!"

"Yes, intriguing indeed."

A voice reached the courtyard, a voice so imposing and commanding that hearing it would make the people of weak will kneel out of sheer fear.

Goten, Ryūko, and Mako looked at the direction from where it seemed to come, and there, standing on white and blue heels, holding a sheathed sword, a woman of black, long hair was.

"Who's she?" Ryūko asked, and Mako rapidly bowed, earning a raised eyebrow from Ryuko. "Mako?"

"She's the student council president, the one who bestows Goku Uniforms, Ryuko! We have to bow!" Mako whispered in hurry, and Ryūko's face went from confused to determined in an instant, courageously glancing at the woman above them on the stairs.

Goten smiled at the sight.

"You, down there." the woman called, giving an icy glance to Goten. "Explain yourself, at once. Who are you, and how did you manage to rival the strength of a Goku Uniform without having one?"

"Well look!"

Ryūko was the one who spoke before Goten could, locking gazes with Satsuki fearlessly. "You're the queen bee of this freaky place, aren't you? You make your questions later, I have a few for you!"

The same reaction that happened with Goten happened with Ryūko; lots of open mouths from No-Star students all around the courtyard.

Only this time, One-Stars decided attacking her for her disrespect was a good idea.

"You bitch!"

"How dare you!"

Five persons ran to Ryūko, and therefore to Goten and Mako, who were too close to her.

"Ah! They're coming at us!" Mako cried, placing her head on the ground and protecting it with her hands.

Ryūko grabbed the guitar case on her back and slammed it _hard _against an incoming One-Star, putting the guy on the ground with ease. Someone else approached her, and she didn't hesitate in planting her white sneaker on his shins, following with a hard punch on the cheek that knocked the lights out of him.

Upon seeing this, Goten's gaze widened.

Or those guys were too weak, or she was _very _strong.

Ryūko was actually something.

As he thought about that, he glanced over at the other three guys at his side, who stopped there and didn't dare to touch him. Ryūko did so too.

A mischievous grin appeared on her face. "Looks like they're about to wet their pants."

"Hehe, you're right!" Goten agreed, sniggering at the fearful enemies. "It's your fight, isn't it? Go get them," he told, stepping out of their way.

"I don't need you to tell me!"

Having said that, she tossed her guitar case to a guy's head, knocking him out easily as it bounced to the ground. The other two attacked at the same time, and she avoided a fist coming at her cheek skillfully, getting near her guitar case as she did so.

"Are you guys even _trying_?"

A fist was coming right at her face, and she avoided it as easily as she did before, but this time countering with her own swing. Quickly, she pulled up her guitar case and, reacting just in time, hit the last guy's leg with it, canceling his kick and making him scream in pain.

Ryūko finished by slamming her guitar case on his sorry face.

"Guess that does it…"

Opening the guitar case, she pulled out a red blade and twirled it skillfully around her arm, taking the handle when it reached her hand and pointing it to Satsuki, whose eyes twitched, if for a mere instant.

The weapon truly piqued Goten's interest. "A sword?"

A sword wasn't expected, not at all, and judging by the whispers in the multitude, the other students felt the same way.

"Whoa! A big scissor!" Mako said, amazed.

"That's right! This is the half of a scissor blade, and I'm looking for the other half." Ryūko stated. "Now, prez, how are we gonna do this? I noticed you were pretty shocked to see this just yet, so don't deny it! You've seen this before!"

Satsuki tilted her head back slightly, directing a condescending look at Ryūko. "And what if I have? What will you do if I admit the fact that I'm familiar with the blade you hold?"

Ryūko's hold over her blade intensified, and so did her scowl.

"I see…so you're _that _bitch!"

No warning, no hesitation, no nothing, nothing but anger.

Ryūko recklessly approached Satsuki, who stood there and waited, whereas she prepared her sword to tear the president of the student council apart.

Goten didn't intend to intervene, but when he saw somebody else running at Ryuko _insanely _fast, he couldn't help yelling at the girl. "Hey! Watch out! She's not the one you should be focusing on!"

"What?!"

Ryūko halted herself, _just in time._

A gigantic red and black fist was aimed at her entire body, and she managed to react, guarding herself using her sword, unintentionally cutting some of her fingers due to grabbing the blade from both sides.

The punch still sent her rolling through the ground, but something on the back of her mind told her that it could have been a lot _worse._

Sitting, she rubbed her forehead, glaring at the person who attacked her. "The hell was that?!"

In front, she could see a pretty short guy, sporting a pair of gloves, one normal and other quite big, with shorts and a grey open coat. On his helmet, two reddish stars could be seen.

"Haha! I didn't think insolent weaklings like you could be fast enough to react to my fists! Although you got a little help…" he said, glaring hatefully at Goten.

Ryūko got up, wiping the dirt on her clothes away. "You shithead…"

Satsuki's gaze fixated on the boxer. "Fukuroda, was it?"

"Yes, ma'am. Takaharu Fukuroda, captain of the boxing club! Shall I finish off this quench for you?"

"There is no need for that. However…"

Her eyes darted to Goten, again. "We can't let that one go. Defeat him, and you will be given a place in the student council."

"What?!" Fukuroda exclaimed, not believing that she was giving him the chance to become one of the elites…but then, he glanced at Goten again, sneering. "Damn it all…"

Goten grinned. "What's wrong? Am I too strong for you?"

Fukuroda growled, averting his gaze from him. "As much as I hate to admit it, I am no match for this freak, ma'am! I shall request-GAH!"

Never did Fukuroda anticipate that Ryūko would sneak on him and slam the flat side of her sword against his head, never.

"If you think I'm just gonna sit there after what you did to me, then you've got another thing coming!"

Fukuroda snarled at her, throwing a punch that Ryūko could barely dodge. "You…why you!"

The boxer gasped for air, and Satsuki closed her eyes in disappointment. "Fine. Take that blade from her hands, and I will forgive you for your weakness."

She glanced at Goten. "As for you…do not think that I have given up on your capture."

"Capture? So that's what you want. In case you didn't see it, _I _took down one of _your_ elites!" Goten proudly said, directing a finger to her. "No offense, but I doubt you'll be able to 'capture' me."

Satsuki smiled. "You took one of my elites down? Such a bold assumption."

"Eh? What do you mean-"

A big shadow covering him.

An incoming, broad hand.

A swift, nigh instinctive reaction to danger.

Goten managed to jump backward, escaping from the giant on front.

His wide eyes focused on him. "_You."_

"Of course, it is me!" Gamagori declared, rising to face Goten. "Did you truly believe that such a weak attack would be enough to defeat me?! You are more foolish than I thought!" he yelled, using a whip and aiming it at Goten, who dodged it rapidly, running at Gamagori like an athlete.

"I underestimated you! Now, let's begin with the REAL fight!"

"I shall punish you for your attitude towards Lady Satsuki!"

Gamagori swung at Goten, failing as he parried the punch with his own. An open palm strike went straight to Gamagori's sternum, pushing him back as he grunted painfully. Goten wouldn't stop there, though.

Leaping high, Goten performed a devastating ax kick, one which Gamagori could barely guard himself against, putting both arms above his head. Using these arms to push himself forward with his leg, Goten did a quick somersault to the ground and, once his tiptoes touched it, he spun around and approached Gamagori from behind, sliding and throwing the behemoth of a man off balance.

Never did they realize it started to rain.

"Curse you!" Gamagori shouted, promptly placing a hand on the ground to avoid the misfortune of falling while battling an enemy of his very caliber.

Goten grinned at this. "Good!"

He lunged at Gamagori, who was just putting his feet on the ground.

He aimed an elbow at his nose, an aggressive look on his face.

Gamagori's eyes widened.

No way he could guard against that, there was _something _dangerous in _that_ attack; he could almost see it.

A massive, fearsome monster behind the figure of his enemy, roaring and glaring at him with terrorizing red eyes.

In that instant, Gamagori could only think of one thing to do.

* * *

"Take that!"

Fukuroda hit Ryūko with his massive glove, but again, she guarded just in time, much to his frustration.

"Will you STOP doing that?!"

"You want me to let you punch me with _that _thing?! Not happening, bastard!" she retorted, hitting the boxer on the stomach with the hilt of her sword.

Ryūko didn't have to be a genius to know that getting a direct hit from that could give her some serious damage.

For now, she could only counter.

"I'll kill you!" he yelled, throwing the same glove at her head, only grazing her as she moved to the side.

She swung at his face. "This is how you throw a punch, fucker!"

Fukuroda fell to the ground, and so did a tooth.

"Damn you…damn you!"

He got up all of sudden, performing an uppercut that hit Ryūko's chin. "I'll never forgive you, bitch!"

Ryūko rolled through the ground, and when she stopped, all she could feel was her sore chin. "Ah, crap!"

Rubbing her chin, she noticed Fukuroda moving his left arm back. It was also the arm where he had the normal glove. "What the hell are ya doing?!"

"I'm ENDING this pointless combat! I've had enough of you!" he responded, proceeding to move his fist forward. "PERISH!"

A barrage of punches erupted from the glove, directing at her. Ryūko raised her sword to cover her face, but that was the only part of her body she could protect.

"Here's the left jab that ends with everything! How about a groundbreaking haymaker, huh?! Let's give you a hook!" Fukuroda exclaimed, and exclaimed, naming every and all of the punches he could see hitting Ryūko, who could only grunt in pain, eyes closed.

"You…motherfucker!"

"Time to finish! A glorious uppercut coming!"

Ryūko opened her eyes, seeing Fukuroda run at her.

She immediately reacted by trying to slash his massive glove, the one he was about to use.

"Still got fight in you?! Not for long!" Fukuroda affirmed, allowing the sword to clash with his glove. As he expected, it didn't leave so much as a scratch, to Ryūko's shock.

"What the fuck?!"

She didn't have time to process what happened, as Fukuroda hit her on the stomach, sending her away. "You're finished!"

Ryūko landed on the ground, coughing, bloodied and pained, but never letting go off her sword.

Rain began to fall.

Fukuroda looked at her, arrogance all over his smirk. "Hmph, scum!"

He began to walk towards her, confident.

Ryūko stood up, however.

As she could, she embedded her sword on the ground and held onto it, getting on her feet.

Her fierce gaze was what stopped Fukuroda on his tracks, and made him think that maybe he should keep his distance.

"I'll show you…"

She lifted her sword.

"…who's the scum here!"

She ran at Fukuroda and tried to slash his chest diagonally. He dodged it, laughing at her and at himself, for believing she could even touch him in her conditions. "Just look at you! You're even weaker than before!"

More aggressive slashes were directed at him, but Fukuroda kept dodging them all.

Until he slipped.

"AH! Damn it-"

He noticed Ryūko above him, about to dig her blade deep into his throat.

"Wait! Please! I-"

"IT'S OVER!"

Fukuroda closed his eyes, overtaken by fear.

Then, he heard the sword piercing the ground just at the side of his ear, and opened his eyes.

Ryūko was still above him, but she wasn't looking at him, resting her head on the hilt of her sword.

"…Why didn't you kill me?"

"Shut up," she ordered, unable to move.

Her body ached so bad.

"Ryūko! You alright?"

Fukuroda glanced at the side, noticing a brown-haired girl coming to Ryūko's aid.

"Go away, Mako." Ryūko let out, not even looking at her.

"But you're hurt!"

"I'm not done with this guy-"

A fist crossed Ryūko's cheek, putting her on the ground.

"Ryūko!" Mako squealed, while Fukuroda walked at her, his expression slightly uncertain.

It was soon replaced with a smirk.

"You dropped your guard, quench," he told, and Ryūko grumbled.

"…Douchebag…"

He crouched, about to grab her sword, but then a bright light illuminated the courtyard, making him and everyone on it cover their eyes.

When it no longer shined and he could see what followed the light, Fukuroda's mouth dropped.

"What?! No way!"

* * *

Goten's elbow collided with Gamagori's face.

But no damage was done.

From where she was, Satsuki closed her eyes, smiling.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, lots of stars enveloped Gamagori's body, and Goten rapidly stepped away. "What's this?"

In a moment, a bright light appeared before his eyes, and Goten covered his eyes with his arm.

"Three-Star Goku Uniform!_ Shackle Regalia!"_

The light intensified for a brief moment.

When it disappeared, what was once Gamagori was now some kind of mummy-like thing, with pointed feet and some spikes on each side, and it had no arms, or so it seemed. The bandages covered everything minus the spikes and a…yellow ball on the head?

It also had a thing on the center of the body.

Goten blinked twice. "What did you do, Gamagori?"

"To punish someone like _you_, I realized I had to go all out! I cannot let you defeat _me, _Lady Satsuki's impenetrable shield!"

"Wait, you mean to tell me you weren't going all out…?"

"Exactly!"

Goten went silent, looking at Gamagori with genuine surprise on his face, surprise that didn't take long to become thrill.

"Amazing!"

He moved towards Gamagori, delivering a heel kick to his midsection. Gamagori was lifted from the ground by the force of the attack, but managed to spin mid-air and land on the ground, totally undamaged.

"Your attacks are too weak! Give me your all!" Gamagori demanded, but he didn't need to; Goten was already on his way, swinging at the yellow ball of the suit, then hitting his abdomen non-stop.

"That's what I'm gonna do, just you wait!"

Goten jumped and gave him a rising knee strike on the head.

"Yes!"

"Take THIS!"

Goten grabbed him by the head and, rolling twice on the air, slammed Gamagori on the ground.

"YES!"

Goten took his leg and started to spin around, sending Gamagori crashing into a wall.

"PUNISH ME!"

Goten leaped in a dropkick towards the hole Gamagori just left.

When it hit…

"I'VE BEEN A BAD BOY!"


	5. Not Alike, Final Part

"Not Alike, Final Part."

* * *

Hearing the screams of his enemy, Goten couldn't help thinking he was fighting some sort of masochistic bastard, and an awkward grimace made it to his face.

"What's wrong with you?"

A bandage separated itself from Gamagori's armor, hitting Goten on his whole torso and sending him from the wall to the ground.

It hurt, a lot.

Goten looked down at his shirt, seeing the mark of the whip strike in the shape of a long cut.

"Three-Star Goku Uniform, _Scourge Regalia!"_

Goten looked up at the wall, and there, he could the mummy emerging.

Or what he thought would be the mummy.

It jumped in front of him, and Goten could get a better glimpse of Gamagori's drastically changed outfit; the bandages now only covered a few spots such as the arms and legs, revealing the black, big armor underneath it. An exaggerated number of whips emerged from somewhere on its back, and the yellow ball was in an orange mask.

Gamagori was surely a fan of spikes because a lot could be seen on the arms, legs, and that black circle on the back of the armor, a circle that couldn't be another thing than a chakram.

"You fell for it!" Gamagori exclaimed proudly, pointing a hand at Goten, who raised an eyebrow.

"…For what?"

"During your assault, I told you your attacks were too weak! You began to give me your all, and I began to be punished!"

"And…?"

Gamagori put a hand on his chest. "My Scourge Regalia becomes stronger depending on the power of the hits received when in my Shackle Regalia! Put two and two together, and you will realize the great mistake you committed!"

Goten stood there for a moment and then smiled. "I wouldn't call it a mistake. It means you're now as strong as me, right?"

"Of course! Right now, we are on equal footing!" Gamagori yelled, and Goten laughed.

"See? It wasn't a mistake!"

Goten began to run at Gamagori, who in turn directed an arm at him. "We will see about that!"

* * *

"Come on! Aren't you gonna fight?!"

Fukuroda planted his foot on Ryūko's back and painfully pressed it against her.

She grounded her teeth, enduring the pain added to her already aching body.

"It impresses me how an insolent fool like your friend can make the great Ira Gamagori release his Regalia. I'm glad I'm fighting you, and not _him._"

"Fuck…off!"

Ryūko tried to slice his leg with her sword, but Fukuroda just jumped away, evading her pitiful slash.

"That blade…you know Lady Satsuki wants it, don't you?"

Fukuroda walked towards her, but Mako stood in his way, extending both in an attempt to protect Ryūko.

"What are you doing? Get out of my way!" he yelled, and Mako shook her head.

"I won't let you go any further!" she responded, an adamant expression in her face. Fukuroda sneered, and without hesitation, moved to her and punched her aside.

Ryūko watched it all, of course. "M-Mako!"

"I'm okay!" she yelled from the ground, a lot of blood coming out of her nose.

Fukuroda scoffed. "That's what you get for messing with someone like me!"

"You bastard!"

Ryūko gathered enough power to get up one more time and tried to slash Fukuroda, who effortlessly dodged all of her attacks, and countered with a strong punch to her face, putting her on the ground.

This time, she wouldn't get up.

"Ryūko!" Mako cried, and Fukuroda snickered.

He took the sword from her hands and began to kick her on where she was, no mercy coming out of him.

* * *

Many whips went after the approaching Goten, but none could stop him on his tracks, unable to match his speed. No matter how many tried to get in the way, he always found a way to evade them.

When close enough, he leaped and gave Gamagori a brutal upward kick on the mask.

It had no effect.

Gamagori did not waste the opportunity and countered by pulling Goten down by the leg, smashing him to the ground and planting his foot on his chest.

"Your attacks are nothing but fuel to my Scourge Regalia! Surrender!" he exclaimed, pressing his foot with enough force to crush a bone or two. Against all odds, Goten resisted the stomping and, gritting his teeth, put his hands on Gamagori's foot.

"This battle's too good to just surrender, don't you think?!"

Behind the mask, Gamagori's eyes widened like plates, witnessing how Goten mustered the force required to not only lift him but also lift him while using his Scourge Regalia, which should have added a lot of weight to his already heavy body.

"Besides…I suck at giving up!"

"Stand DOWN!"

Gamagori panicked when Goten did not let go of his foot, and so began to whip him non-stop, to punch him, to kick him.

To his utter shock, Goten endured every and all of his attacks and one moment to another, Gamagori found himself being spun around by Goten, who was grabbing him by the foot. His face was all red and full of cuts and scratches, and so were his arms, but that stupid grin of his was still there.

"Haha!"

Goten threw Gamagori away and watched as the giant repeatedly bounced on the ground, ending up rolling and colliding into the lower part of a wall. Once he did, Goten sprang over his direction. "I'm not done yet!"

Gamagori opened his eyes, and Goten was quickly approaching. In less time than he thought, he was already in front of him, throwing a punch at his mask.

A crack sounded.

Gamagori grabbed Goten's hand and brought him closer, delivering a headbutt that made the latter back away a bit, stunned. Gamagori did not wait for his enemy to recover, going and giving him a strong hook that brought Goten to his knees, only to be whipped on the cheek.

As he laid down on the same spot where Gamagori crashed, the man touched his mask and noticed that a long rupture mark went down it.

"This is most unexpected! My Shackle and Scourge Regalia are both made to withstand any type of attack, not even a missile could damage this armor!

Gamagori walked towards Goten and pulled him up by the collar. "So, how is it that _you_ can?! _Who _are _you_?!"

Seconds passed as Gamagori waited for an answer.

When Goten opened his eyes and directed an amused gaze at him.

"I'm Son Goten…and that's all I'm telling you."

He proceeded to outstretch both legs at Gamagori's face, kicking him with enough force to push him away as well as making him let go of his collar. As he landed on his feet, Goten contemplated his mask.

Kicks wouldn't do. He was far better at throwing punches than doing kicks.

He had to focus on that if he wanted to break through his defenses.

Goten grunted, having just realized the pain his body was in. The lots of cuts and scratches around his body were starting to hurt.

No good.

"What's the matter? Are you going to stand there forever? I'm waiting!" Gamagori affirmed, his booming voice ringing in Goten's ears.

He frowned at his enemy. "No need to scream it so loud, you moron."

_Maybe he could do something other than punching him._

Goten's eyes darted to a tiny pebble on the soil, and he took it, to Gamagori's confusion.

"What are you exactly doing?"

"Huh, nothing important, just checking if I'm still good at hurling." Goten casually said, playing with the pebble in his hand.

As he threw the pebble upwards only to catch it time after time, Gamagori gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and yelled, "Are you trying to _mock _me?!"

With a loud war cry, he sent a whip after Goten, and the latter merely dodged it, spinning and proceeding to talk in a stern tone.

"I told you…"

He aggressively threw the pebble at Gamagori's mask.

"…your screams are getting annoying!"

No time to react, the pebble was too fast.

By the time Gamagori realized he had thrown the pebble, he was on the ground, with a severely damaged mask, so much that the water of the rain filtrated through the cracks.

If his mask hadn't been there…

_If it hadn't been there…_

Gamagori immediately stood up and tried to bite the yellow ball on his mask, which was also in his mouth. Unfortunately for him, Goten was already on his way, thinking that giving him a jumping uppercut on the chin was be a good idea.

The giant's head was doubled backward, and the sheer force of the attack finally broke his mask. Goten performed a spinning reverse kick amidst the air, directing it at Gamagori's neck and sending him to the ground.

As Gamagori recovered, Goten watched intently. "You never saw that one coming, didn't you? The pebble, I mean."

"You…why you!"

"Poor loser. Letting down your guard like that will get you killed someday!" Goten affirmed, and Gamagori punched the ground, growling in frustration.

To be bested by someone who disrespected Lady Satsuki in front of everyone was utterly infuriating!

"This is not over!" Gamagori shouted, about to throw a whip to Goten.

"Enough!"

A loud heel click echoed in the courtyard, courtesy of Satsuki Kiryūin.

Everyone looked at her. "Cease this brawling already, Gamagori. You have done enough."

Gamagori seemed like he was about to protest, but he shut his mouth in the end, while Satsuki gazed at Goten. "I believe it is time for you to tell us who you are."

"His name is Son Goten, Lady Satsuki," Gamagori responded.

Satsuki's eyes showed true interest at that. "I see…you are one of the transfer students, am I right?"

"You're well informed, my _Lady_!" Goten disdainfully exclaimed, clapping his hands. He noticed the angry look Gamagori gave him, and couldn't help sniggering.

Satsuki remained calm, though. "I must ask, why are you fighting one of my subordinates, Son?"

Goten averted his gaze, seemingly thinking of his answer.

"Because I felt like doing so, that's all." he let out, and Gamagori looked about to jump at his throat.

"Is that all you have to say?" Satsuki questioned, and Goten scratched his head, nodding.

"Yeah, I guess…I'm in a lot of pain, you know, not many things come to mind when you're all wounded."

"Such a shallow motivation…fighting for the sake of fighting is an utterly pointless action!" she declared, her eyes becoming sterner and a light shining down to the courtyard from behind her. "That power you have is so wasted, wasted in the likes of someone like you!"

"Hahaha! Do you think I care?! My power's all mine, and _I_ decide how to use it!" he exclaimed, pointing his thumb to himself, grinning. "I don't need a purpose at all, I _enjoy _being pointless."

"Are you sure of that?"

Goten no longer grinned, his face becoming serious, looking back at Satsuki with the same intensity.

"Yes, I am."

They both locked gazes for a long moment until Satsuki closed her eyes.

"How dull. For a moment, I thought you could be one of the finest additions of Honnōji Academy, but I was wrong all along." she flatly said, opening her eyes.

"You are a pathetic pig in clothing, who does not know what he stands for, what he lives for, and wallows in his own hopelessness!" she exclaimed.

Goten remained unresponsive.

Then he chuckled.

"You're the only pathetic person here, and I'll show you why!" he let out, preparing to jump at her, but before he could, Satsuki spoke again.

"If engaging me in combat will help you erase your own doubts about yourself, then feel free to do so. However, I must tell you that, while you and I speak, your allies are suffering at the hands of one of my club captains."

Goten's eyes widened slightly as he glanced over to where Fukuroda, Ryūko, and _Mako _were.

The boxer was currently kicking Ryūko, who laid on the ground, weakened and unable to move. Mako stared at it, unable to do something to stop it, and there was no doubt in his mind that he was probably going to kill Ryūko.

He averted his gaze, frowning.

"I don't care about them! I've barely known them for like…five minutes!" he yelled, raising a hand and making it a fist.

"Of course!"

Another heel click echoed, and Satsuki turned.

"But they will die for their crimes of treason against Honnōji Academy. Their existence will be no more due to their crimes of treason against Honnōji Academy and their connection with _you_."

Goten gritted his teeth. "That's unfair! Mako didn't do anything to you or your goons, bitch."

"WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE AROUND LADY SATSUKI!" Gamagori shouted, glaring at Goten, who, in turn, glared back at him.

"Piss off, masochistic freak!"

"That is true," Satsuki said, and Goten glared at her. "It is indeed unfair for the other girl to be punished, but you do not care, so why should I? Her existence will be no more, unfairness or not, all because of her connection with you and the girl of the scissor blade, and all because you didn't care for her fate."

She tilted her head back slightly, smiling. "Is it not a sad thing?"

"Shut up!"

"You could have saved her, but you didn't care! Because of that, her life will end!" she declared.

Goten clenched his fists.

Turns out, he didn't want Mako to die.

The pain in his body would make him less tough, no doubt. If he tried to fight Satsuki and kill her, he would be at a disadvantage from the start. That being said, there was the possibility of her being stronger than Gamagori, because if he followed her, it had to be for her strength, and not for another thing.

If she didn't result to be as strong as he thought, what guaranteed him that Gamagori or _someone else_ wouldn't intervene?

Suddenly, this place felt a lot more dangerous.

"Now then…"

He was brought out of his thoughts by Satsuki, who walked down the stairs to the courtyard and looked at him with a certain expectation.

"…shall we begin?"

Goten stared at her intently and grinned.

"Sure."

He took a step forward, and without warning, changed directions, running to the left, away from her.

A small smile graced her face, vanishing as abruptly as it appeared.

"Get him! Do not let him escape!" Satsuki ordered, and herds of students began to go after Goten from every side of the courtyard. Those who tried to grab him were severely injured by his fists, or legs, or both. Many stood in front of him, but Goten simply jumped on their heads harshly.

Mustering as much speed as he could in his conditions, he sprinted, zeroed in on the person who was torturing Ryūko.

Poor fool, he didn't even see the punch at his nose coming.

Fukuroda's consciousness slipped away from his fingers almost instantly, and all he could do was lay on the ground, unmoving.

"Goten! You're here!" Mako let out happily. Had he had time, he would've greeted her with a smile.

"Yeah, but not for long!" he said, putting her on a shoulder. "We've gotta-"

"Don't forget Ryūko!" she said, and Goten looked at the girl on the ground, not even conscious. He considered it for a moment, looked at Satsuki, and a malicious glint appeared in his eyes.

"Sure, why not."

Goten put the other girl on his free shoulder and sprang to the school's exit, avoiding the students who thought they could stop him effortlessly, just as Mako made excited squeals due to his jumps and speed.

In the end, the three managed to get out.

Gamagori, who had deactivated his Scourge Regalia, looked at the exit with fury, and yelled, "Follow them to the city! They shall not-"

"There is no need for that."

Gamagori looked at Satsuki, who walked past him. "But, Lady Satsuki!"

It wasn't until Gamagori saw her walking at Takaharu Fukuroda that he realized what she meant.

Satsuki glanced down at the figure of the defeated boxer, and then gazed his left hand, where a red blade could be seen.

"They will come back," she said, taking the sword and turning away, walking to the stairs from where she came.

Gamagori remained there, strongly pressing his fists.

"I look forward to the day when they return."

* * *

**Well? Did you like it? The first five chapters of my story! They're pretty short, I've gotta say, but I hope I entertained you, because this is just the beginning.**

**If you enjoyed reading, don't forget to review, follow and all that stuff. Until next time!**


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